Thread: ?'s on adjusting the points on a 1940 ford

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Hello all,
I am new to the flathead game. I aquired a 1940 Ford Tudor for my father and have gotten it to run and idle, but as soon as it it under load (trying to drive) it spudders and misses. I am under the impression that this is a points issue but I have no idea how to adjust/set them. Please help.

Pull the cap and rotate the engine by hand (breaker bar & socket on crank) until the point cam is on a peak for the point rub block. Adjust your points to 0.014" to 0.016" and you are done. If you check the dwell, it should be 61 degrees. If it is more then you need to close down your points a bit, cheat towards 0.014". If it is less, cheat towards 0.016". Setting them at 0.015" should be spot on if you are not messing with dwell.
Misfire under load is often plugs breaking down. Have you changed them lately? Might check your plug gap, too, or just get a set and eliminate them from the troubleshooting list?

Thanks for the catch, Denny. You are right on, as usual.

I have read that the gap is .014 -.016. My question is how do I get to them to adjust them or change them. Do I have to remove the distributor. It is a dual piont system (I believe it is called a clam shell? Dennis Carpenter part# 40-12127 A). The coil screws to the top and the plug wires come in either side through 2 removable caps, so when I remove the coil I can see the points but can't see how to adjust them. If I take the distributor off, and apart, I am afraid that I will have to re-time it to the cam. I'm sorry if I am not clear, like I said I am learning the Flathead as I go. Any help is definatly appriciated.